Anna Kendrick Shoot + Interview for Whatchamacallit

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is the major motion picture based on the cult-favorite graphic novels by Bryan Lee O’Malley. Stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead (also known for Live Free or Die Hard), Brandon Routh (Superman Returns, Chuck, Zack and Miri Make a Porno) and Anna Kendrick(Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Up in the Air) sit down with the Whatchamacallit Reviews to joke about being superheros (or villians), playing music, and Comicon. If you haven’t seen Scott Pilgrim yet, consider going as soon as you can.

Whatchamacallit Reviews: What first attracted each of you to the project?

Brandon Routh: Well nobody was able to read the script until they were cast, essentially, so it was the possibility of working with Edgar Wright that attracted me to the project. Once we were cast, we were able to read the source material and that was just kind of icing on the cake because it was such a cool concept.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead: Yeah, I was attracted to it because Edgar Wright was directing and he gave me books to read and eventually, the script came along. The script was amazing, the rest of the cast was amazing, there was nothing that could deter me from the project.

Anna Kendrick: I was a big fan of Edgar’s work and I was just like “Yes please!”

WR: How much of the fighting scenes were done by you?

MW: We had to do a lot of it. Michael and I trained every day for two months like eight hours a day, all the exes would sort of rotate coming to town and train for a bit. We did boot camp training, kung fu training, fight choreography…the stunt team really wanted us to do as much as possible. They tailored the choreography to be stuff that we could achieve, but the stunt guys were always there to step in at a moments notice and take over and they definitely did some amazing stunts in the movie. The majority of it is us though.

WR: Any fight mishaps?

MW: I had one; it was as much my fault as it was Ellen’s. In my fight with Ellen, at the end of the movie, I took one of Knives’ knives to the eye and got slashed in the eye, had a black eye for the day. She was so into it and coming at me, and as I was turning I kind of took it to the eye. At that point, for some reason, we weren’t using Styrofoam knives, we were using metal and wood, crafted into a point, but from that point on, we used Styrofoam knives.

BR: I was reaching for fliers at the “Clash of Demonhead” concert and I was looking for one in mint condition and as I picked one up, I hit my head. Had to sit down for a while, everybody laughed. I didn’t pass out, but I probably hit it hard enough that I could have given myself a concussion.

WR: Did your dance training help with the fight choreography?

MW: It did a lot, it was counted out like “5,6,7,8” and a lot of it, we knew they would be musically focused, that the beats would match up but at the same time, I had to focus on not making them look like dance moves.

WR: Did your past work in other super hero movies help in this film?

BR: Well, I kind of felt like the old man on campus, talking to people about being in a harness, because I knew what that was like. So with the stunt crew, I kind of knew what was going on and didn’t feel as awkward about that whole situation. I knew all the tricks it just saved some time. I was used to the pain it induces, so it wasn’t as bad.

MW: For me, it helped having already done something that was as stylized, where performances were over the top. It didn’t seem that much of a stretch because I had done something similar in tone.

WR: If you were a superhero, what would be your super power and your super hero name?

BR: My name would be “Justice Man” and I would use my power to seek truth.

AK: My name would be “Pixie Fuller” because that’s my porn name, and my power would be invisibility and I would not use it for good.

MW: I could be like Rosie the Riveter.

BR: Retro Girl! You could point at things and it would take it back in a time warp. I play this game all the time.

WR: What was the most memorable experience of comic con?

MW: The most memorable was definitely the screening. The screening was amazing. The fans loved it and it was really special to experience that with that.

WR: What do you want viewers to take away from the movie?

MW: For me, it’s just such a true story of people in their twenties in relationships. You’re getting out of your teenage years, but you’re still not quite mature enough to handle a break up properly and you put someone else before yourself. It’s kind of good to put a mirror on all of us that way and say “Yeah, we have all treated someone really thoughtlessly, especially in a breakup.” It’s really horrible, but we need to realize we’ve all done it. We need to realize that we have evolved and matured beyond that. So many people in this film are going through similar arcs.

BR: There is a line in the movie where Gideon says “Don’t let the past ruin your future” and that’s what it is really about to me. It’s echoed in many ways in the movie, past relationships, past period, you have to get over your past to truly move forward in love or in anything else. It’s pretty powerful. There are some who think this movie is just about comic books and flashy stuff, but there are so many undertones that give it heart.

WR: What is your favorite scene in the movie?

AK: I like the scene in the alley with Mae [Whitman] the first time she [Roxy] attacks him.

MW: I love the little things in the movie you pick up that you don’t notice the first time around.

BR: Right now I’m liking that scene where Scott is stalking Ramona at the party because I love that Frank Black song.

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